CHITWAN: A total of 893 people were diagnosed with scrub typhus in Chitwan during the last fiscal year, according to the Public Health Office.
The infections were confirmed after 11,419 suspected patients who visited various hospitals across the district underwent testing.
Ram KC, Vector Control Inspector at the Public Health Office, Chitwan, said 621 of the infected patients were residents of Chitwan district. Among them, 246 cases were reported in Ratnanagar Municipality, 117 in Khairahani Municipality, and 90 in Bharatpur Metropolitan City.
Similarly, 82 cases were recorded in Rapti Municipality, 69 in Kalika Municipality, seven in Madi Municipality, and 10 in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality.
In the previous fiscal year (2081/82 BS), 1,055 cases were detected among 7,095 people tested. One person died from scrub typhus during the last fiscal year, according to the office.
Scrub typhus is a bacterial disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected chigger mites, which are commonly found on rodents and other small animals.
Symptoms include high fever, red eyes, cough, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, and, in some cases, a black scab at the site of the mite bite.
Health officials have urged the public to take preventive measures, including wearing long-sleeved clothing and appropriate footwear while working in fields, bushes, or forests, applying insect repellent to exposed skin, keeping surroundings clean by preventing excessive grass growth, and controlling rodent populations through proper grain storage and sanitation.
Comment